Woodlands MS Resource and Respite Care Centre: MS Society review of future service provision means an uncertain future

Recent press and radio coverage may have alerted many to the news that Woodlands Respite Care Centre’s future is a little uncertain at the moment. The MS Society (which owns and runs Woodlands) has spent the last 18 months conducting a review of its respite provision. This review has told the MS Society that people with MS and carers want more choice about and control over respite care, and the MS Society therefore needs to be in the best position to help guide people with MS and their families to understand what is available and make these choices.      
 

To achieve these aims, the MS Society has chosen to use all its resources to develop access to personalised respite services across the whole of the UK by focussing on providing better information, accrediting other services, giving grants and campaigning for better services.

As a consequence, the MS Society will no longer directly provide residential respite care.  Currently the MS Society is seeking alternative providers to take over one or all of its 4 respite centres and is giving itself until the end of 2010 to accomplish this. Sadly however, if this cannot be achieved, then Woodlands will close by the end of 2011.

Whilst we wait for further news about Woodlands’ possible sale/transfer, we continue business as usual and are still providing a valuable respite service for 24 people each week, actively recruiting volunteers and raising funds to meet this year’s budget.

For more information about this decision please don’t hesitate to contact the MS Society directly
Telephone:  020 8438 0925
Email:   respitecare@mssociety.org.uk
Or contact Woodlands on 01904 430600